Heights

[kgringa]

Hello,

I am afraid of heights but love hiking and would love to hike a 14er.

I am definitely a beginner. I can run a 5K but slow (14-15 minute miles).

Which 14er would freak me out the least in terms of heights?

Thank you!

[Tory Wells]

Heights are like anything else--the more you practice, the better (ie more comfortable) you will get. I think you'll find many people on here are in or were in the same boat as you. And it makes sense--a fear of falling is a normal mammalian response.

The standard beginner 14ers are the place to start your journey: Bierstadt, Quandary, Sherman, Lincoln/Bross/Democrat/Cameron, Elbert, Huron, Yale. I'd also recommend, if you know someone who is well versed and comfortable in mountain driving, to take a drive up Mt Evans, Pikes Peak, or Trail Ridge Road to start acclimating yourself to high places.

Happy trails.

[Doug Shaw]

How sensitive are you about it?

Tory hit the key points - fear of heights isn't uncommon, and practice makes perfect.

That said, the degree to which heights affect you that can come into play. The vast majority of people are going to be uncomfortable if you just stand them right at the edge of a 3,000 foot vertical drop-off. But I've also met people who have had a difficult time going up and down steep open-air stairs, and I've even seen someone who was very unnerved by Pikes Peak's Barr Trail above treeline, where the trail crosses through sloping terrain, but not in a place that most people would consider to have "drop-offs".

Taking that thought, then, I'd probably zero in on Tory's list a bit and suggest these peaks which don't really put you in position of having to deal with appreciable or significant "drop offs" at all:
* Bross from Kite Lake
* Quandary East Ridge
* Elbert East ridge
... but that said, there are areas on almost any peak where you could be bothered if you're extremely uncomfortable or sensitive about it.

Tory's other suggestion of seeing how you do handling trips up the high-altitude roads is also good for seeing how you might handle it.

[rpdawes]

Hello,

I am afraid of heights but love hiking and would love to hike a 14er.

I am definitely a beginner. I can run a 5K but slow (14-15 minute miles).

Which 14er would freak me out the least in terms of heights?

Thank you!

Try Mt Bross from Mineral Park Trailhead which is considered the easiest 14er route and less dangerous. Next is San Luis Peak from West Willow Creek Trailhead. Both are impossible for you to feel fear of altitude.

Good luck!

[kgringa]

Thanks so much to all of you for your thoughtful responses. It helps to know that other people are scared of heights. I will start looking into the 14ers that you mentioned.

[jrbren_vt]

When you say fear of heights, to me that means fear of falling when you get more the 20-30' off the ground. Fear of altitude, to me, would mean fear of getting sick when going to altitude (say above 10K'), which can happen on a high altitude plane. I assume you mean the former. I have that, I have turned back on a couple of climbs I would really like to do due to that. I cannot rock climb beyond top roping an 20-30' easy wall (for some reason indoors I can top rope in a gym with the same heights). I get nervous on fire towers, but can handle it. Ditto for stuff like the Seattle Space needle and top of the rock in NYC. If you are like me, I would say you should be fine on any 14er route that is class 1 or 2. Those are all listed in the routes section of this web site. I hope to visit CO again some day and try a beginner class 3 route.

[RJ_Greenhorn24]

Hello,

I am afraid of heights but love hiking and would love to hike a 14er.

I am definitely a beginner. I can run a 5K but slow (14-15 minute miles).

Which 14er would freak me out the least in terms of heights?

Thank you!

You can try using the "route selection tool" in the Route drop down tab on the main page, select anything with low exposure and you should get some good results. If you're like me then you're not so much afraid of being up high, just being near ledges that make you realize how high it is. Hope the tool helps you, I've used it a ton for deciding on routes to build my comfort/experience level.

Happy Hiking!